Department for Transport

Birmingham Airport

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic merits of the Birmingham Airport Connectivity project.

Wendy Morton: Although unable to discuss individual projects at this time, we remain committed to publishing the RNEP update, which has been delayed by the need to take account of the impacts of the pandemic and the Spending Review. We want to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible on rail enhancements and will set out our plans shortly.

P&O Ferries: Safety

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the dismissal of 800 workers by P&O and the detainment of ships operated by that company for inspection, what steps his Department will take to ensure safety standards for passengers are upheld on ferry services operated by P&O.

Robert Courts: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency plan to carry out Port State Control inspections on all the P&O ferries affected prior to them returning to passenger service, to ensure that they remain in compliance with all international requirements. MCA Officials have completed inspections on the EUROPEAN CAUSEWAY, EUROPEAN HIGHLANDER, PRIDE OF HULL, PRIDE OF KENT, PRIDE OF ROTTERDAM, NORBAY and NORBANK. The PRIDE OF CANTERBURY and SPIRIT OF FRANCE will be inspected by the MCA before they go back into service. These inspections involve thorough checks of items such as hull, machinery, firefighting and lifesaving arrangements, maintenance and emergency preparedness to ensure that the ferries and its operation meet the requisite safety standards. If the MCA find serious defects, then they will detain the vessel until those matters have been resolved, as illustrated by recent detentions. All roll-on-roll-off passenger ferries including those operated by P&O are, and will continue to be, inspected annually by the MCA.

P&O Ferries

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have had with representatives of the shipping registers of (a) Cyprus, (b) Bahamas, (c) Bermuda and (d) Malta on P&O Ferries' appointment of International Fleet Management as the employer of seafarers on its vessels working from UK ports.

Robert Courts: Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) officials have not had any discussions with representatives of the ship registers of (a) Cyprus, (b) Bahamas, (c) Bermuda or (d) Malta on the appointment of International Ferry Management as the employer of seafarers on P&O Ferries vessels operating from UK ports. During their Port State Control inspections of the vessels, the MCA inspectors were presented with a Certificate of Compliance issued by RINA on behalf of the Maltese administration. This demonstrates that the recruitment and placement company, International Ferry Management, operate in accordance with the requirements of the Maritime Labour Convention.

Tonnage Tax

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) Cypriot, (b) Bahamian and (c) Bermudan registered vessels are part of shipping groups that qualify for the Tonnage Tax scheme as at 10 May 2022.

Robert Courts: According to the returns provided by companies within the UK Tonnage Tax scheme there are currently 11 vessels that are registered in Cyprus, 46 that are registered in Bahamas and 8 that are registered in Bermuda.

Department of Health and Social Care

Defibrillators: Finance

Sir Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of building the Government's planned national network of defibrillators; and what proportion of that cost his Department will cover.

Maria Caulfield: No estimate has been made as the Government has not funded the network. We have encouraged communities and organisations in England to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of first aid equipment, particularly in locations where there are high concentrations of people. Many community defibrillators have since been provided in public locations through national lottery funding, community fundraising schemes, workplace funding or by charities.

Leukaemia: Health Services

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients receive a personalised care plan; and what proportion of those patients receive a personalised care plan from the point of diagnosis.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is not currently held centrally in the format requested. While data on holistic needs assessments and personalised care and support plans is now routinely collected via the Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset, this was delayed due to the pandemic. Therefore, accurate data on service provision is not yet available and reported at patient level.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the enquiry from the hon. Member for High Peak dated 10 March 2022, reference RL33502.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 12 May 2022.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the enquiry from the hon. Member for High Peak dated 28 January 2022, reference RL32134.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 12 May 2022.

Hospitals: Parking

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2022 to Question 153690, on Southampton Hospital: Parking, what guidance is in place on the provision of free hospital car parking for people with long-term conditions like cystic fibrosis who are frequently attending appointments or receiving ongoing care from hospitals, such as Southampton General.

Edward Argar: NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts’ provides guidance on the provision of free hospital car parking for in-need groups. This defines these groups, which includes frequent outpatient attenders. While the definition of ‘frequent outpatient attenders’ is not determined by a particular illness or condition, patients who attend hospital for an appointment at least three times within a month and for an overall period of at least three months will be eligible for free hospital car parking. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles More than 97% of National Health Service trusts which charge for car parking have implemented free parking for those with greatest need.

Care Workers and Health Professions: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional steps he is taking to help ensure that NHS and Social Care staff are protected against the ongoing transmission of covid-19.

Edward Argar: The Department, the United Kingdom Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC) cell and the UK Health Security Agency monitor emerging evidence and data on transmission and guidance will be amended accordingly if required. The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are assisting the National Health Service and social care providers to implement guidance, including the recommendation for staff, patients and visitors to wear a mask or face covering in health and care settings. In addition to IPC measures, the vaccination programme, staff and patient testing and some symptomatic testing for care residents, remain the most effective defence against the COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Personal protective equipment for COVID-19 will continue to be provided free of charge for health and social care settings until March 2023 or until IPC guidance is withdrawn or significantly amended.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Russia: Diplomatic Service

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has plans to expel Russian diplomats from the UK.

James Cleverly: We will continue to consider options in concert with our allies. We continue to deliver clear and tough messages directly to Putin's Government, as the FCDO summoning of the Russian Ambassador and the MoD summoning of the Russian Defence Attaché has demonstrated.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Seaham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date her Department expects the Department for Work and Pensions office in Seaham to close.

Mims Davies: On current plans, the Department expects to exit Seaham by September 2023.

Department for Work and Pensions: Seaham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on hybrid working among affected civil servants of the consolidation of the Department for Work and Pensions office in Seaham.

Mims Davies: The adoption of hybrid working practices has been carefully and fully considered. The introduction of hybrid working arrangements by the Department for back of house functions means that staff will only need to work on average 40% of their working week in the new location.

Department for Work and Pensions: Seaham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobs will be affected by the closure of the Department for Work and Pensions office in Seaham.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether compulsory redundancies will result from the closure of the Department for Work and Pensions office in Seaham.

Mims Davies: As of March 2022, 345 colleagues located in Seaham Lighthouse View are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Sunderland Wearview House. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and determine if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary, however this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.

Treasury

Beer: Excise Duties

Owen Thompson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many small producers that produce multiple alcoholic products will be effected by the introduction of small producer relief.

Helen Whately: The Government intends to introduce a new Small Producers Relief to replace the existing Small Brewers Relief. The new relief will include beer, cider, wine and spirits-based drinks below 8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). It aims to encourage innovation and remove barriers growth for small producers. This change will benefit hundreds of small producers across the UK by giving them access to reduce rates for the first time, across a wider range of products.

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce a windfall tax on the profits of North Sea oil and gas producers and use the proceeds to tackle to cost of living.

Helen Whately: The UK Government places additional taxes on the extraction of oil and gas, with companies engaged in the production of oil and gas on the UK Continental Shelf subject to headline tax rates on their profits that are currently more than double those paid by other businesses. To date, the sector has paid more than £375 billion in production taxes. All taxes are kept under review and any changes are considered and announced by the Chancellor.

Ferries: Tonnage Tax

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many operators of international ferry routes qualify for the Tonnage Tax concession from Corporation Tax as of 10 May 2022.

Helen Whately: The latest data on the total number of Tonnage Tax regime participants since tax year 2016-17 can be found on GOV.UK. The data is available within the “Estimated cost of non-structural tax reliefs (December 2021)” publication.[1] [1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1039626/non_structural_cost_estimates_tables_december_2021.ods

P&O Ferries: Tonnage Tax

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review P&O Ferries' eligibility for Tonnage Tax concession from Corporation Tax.

Helen Whately: HMRC oversees the tonnage tax regime. HMRC has a statutory duty of taxpayer confidentiality and cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers.

Personal Savings

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the average amount of savings held by each household in the UK.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of average household savings of each house in the UK broken down by ethnic group.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate has been made of the average amount of household savings in the UK by age group.

John Glen: Latest official Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows total household currency and deposits (a measure of household savings) were around £2 trillion in 2021 Q4. Furthermore, in their Spring 2022 forecast, the OBR estimated that households, on aggregate, accumulated around £230 billion in additional savings between the start of 2020 and Q3 2021. The ONS does not produce official statistics on average savings per household. The ONS does not publish statistics on average household savings or wealth broken down by ethnic group.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Platinum Jubilee 2022: Medals

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason eligibility to receive the Platinum Jubilee Medal was set at five years of service for members of the armed forces and frontline emergency service personnel.

Chris Philp: The five-year service qualifying criteria, which has been agreed across the government, Devolved Administrations and Crown Dependencies, has been determined on the basis of the precedent for previous commemorative Jubilee medals.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he will respond to the correspondence of 4 March 2022 from the hon. Member for High Peak, reference RL35365.

Julia Lopez: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s correspondence team transferred your letter to the Home Office for a response, as the subject of the letter sits within their portfolio. We have been informed that Home Office colleagues responded on 8 April 2022.